Truro City vs Halifax Town – Match Report

Enterprise National League

By Ronan Tregoning, Truro City Stadium, Saturday

Truro City 2 – FC Halifax Town 1

Luke Jephcott’s stoppage time strike  secured a thrilling win for Truro City over FC Halifax Town, writes Ronan Tregoning.

In an end-to-end game that the Tinners were dominating in parts, the home side conceded the first goal just after the hour mark when Will Harris profited on a defensive mistake to net.

Undeterred despite falling behind, Truro piled on the pressure and were rewarded their endeavours after Jephcott whipped in a corner, which Shaun Donnellan managed to turn in to drag City back level.

It was the man from Ponsanooth involved again when, in the dying embers of the

game, Dominic Johnson-Fisher raced away, laid the ball off to Zac Bell, he picked out

Jephcott at the back post, to give Truro all three points.

Aiden Marsh and Max Kinsey started their first league games for Truro as part of three changes made by John Askey after the midweek FA Cup reverse at the hands of AFC Totton. Ryan Law also returned after missing out on Tuesday’s penalty shootout defeat as his second child was being born.

City started well despite falling to test visiting incumbent Sam Johnson. The hosts were forced to make an early change when Dan Rooney limped off after 16 minutes, replaced by Yassine En-Neyah.

📷Goal celebrations for Luke Jephcott of Truro City during the National League match between Truro City and FC Halifax Town at Truro City Stadium on 18 October 2025. - PHOTO: Frankie OKeeffe/PPAUK

As the half wore on, City upped the ante with both Jephcott and Marsh going close before En-Neyah was bundled over in the box, but referee Aji Ajibola waved strong home penalty appeals away.

And then three minutes before the interval, Halifax went close in a rare foray forward as tricky winger Owen Bray flashed a cross into the patch of Harris, who was denied by City custodian Dan Lavercombe.

After the break the game continued at a frantic pace and home boss Askey blinked first, thrusting Johnson-Fisher into the fray at the expense of full debutant Marsh.

Will Hugill’s shot from range failed to test Lavercombe before Johnson-Fisher exchanged passes with En-Neyah and the former’s curling effort was turned behind for a corner.

Despite City being on top for much of the game, a backpass from Kinsey intended for Donnellan after 66 minutes was cut out by Harris. He made no mistake slotting past an on-rushing Lavercombe.

Moments later, Kinsey and previously booked Lirak Hasani were replaced by Rekeil Pyke and Zac Bell as City tried to find an instant way back into proceedings.

The ever-energetic fullback Bell was straight into the fray, playing a great ball into the box

that left Johnson flapping, but there was no City player able to hit the net.

Moving into the latter stages and the home side were trying all they could to grab an equaliser as Jephcott and Johnson-Fisher both had shots well saved by Johnson.

En-Neyah was next to have a fine header at the back post turned around for a corner and from the resulting flag kick delivered by Jephcott, he found an unmarked Donnellan who bundled home for a well-deserved equaliser and his first goal for Truro.

Constant City pressure then ensued and from the right-hand side specifically, this led to an acrobatic Johnson-Fisher effort, which did not quite find the mark.

As a draw seemed likely, four minutes were added on by the referee and with Halifax pushing forward, Hasani flicked to Johnson-Fisher who burst clear.

He found the onrushing Bell who crossed low across the six-yard box and via a deflection, there was Jephcott who scored to send the Truro City Stadium into raptures.

City: Lavercombe, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Donnellan, Law, Kinsey, (Bell, 69), Rooney, (En-Neyah, 16), Dean, Hasani (Pyke, 69), Riley-Lowe, Jephcott, Marsh (Johnson-Fisher, 50). Subs not used: Stone, Love-Holmes, Kite.

FC Halifax Town: Johnson, Latty-Fairweather (Jenkins, 79), Hobson, Mills, Capello, Hugil, Turner-Cooke, Hmami, Cooke, Harris (Adetoro, 83), Bray (Devonport, 70). Subs not used: Ford, Warburton, Smith.

Referee: Aji Ajibola

Attendance 2,004

📷Stewart Yetton, Assistant Manager of Truro City, celebrates after winning during the National League match between Truro City and FC Halifax Town at Truro City Stadium on 18 October 2025. - PHOTO: Frankie OKeeffe/PPAUK

Stewart Yetton Post Match Reaction

by Gareth Davies

Truro City’s assistant boss Stewart Yetton was pleased to see his side on the right end of late goals, after Luke Jephcott’s stoppage time winner sealed victory for the hosts.

After shipping late against Woking and conceding a penalty that was missed by AFC Totton in the FA Cup seven days ago, Jephcott bagged his fifth of the campaign, turning home Zac Bell’s cross.

Despite dominating large spells of the game, Truro fell behind when Will Harris scored after a mistake from the home side at the back.

But Shaun Donnellan restored parity 10 minutes from time before Jephcott’s heroics in the dying embers.

“It is very nice to be on the receiving end of good fortune and late goals,” Yetton said at full-time. “It is massively pleasing, because it is what we deserved after being very good in the last three or four games.

“Unfortunately we haven’t been able to close games out so to come from behind and win makes the win all that bit sweeter.

“I think we were good value for the win but obviously the goal we conceded was our own doing. We made a mistake and it was one of only two shots they had at goal, while we had six or seven.

“We were more in the ascendancy than them and at the end, there was only one side that looked like winning.”

Truro, forced to lick their wounds after suffering penalty heartache in the FA Cup against Totton on Tuesday, raced from the traps and were dominant during the opening stanza.

However, Halifax defended well and restricted the hosts to just two chances, with Jephcott seeing his effort saved by visiting custodian Sam Johnson and Aiden Marsh shooting wide.

Harris had Halifax’s best opportunity, but Dan Lavercombe kept out his effort.

After the turnaround, substitute Domininc Johnson-Fisher’s deflected shot went wide before Harris profited on a slack pass to round Lavercombe and score.

But Truro roared back and after Jephcott and Yassine En-Neyah were denied by Johnson, they finally drew level when Connor Riley-Lowe’s corner was swept home by Donnellan.

Halifax sacrificed Harris to try and see the game out by Johnson-Fisher wrestled the ball back high up the pitch and fed Bell, who found Jephcott who arrived unmarked to fire home.

“I didn’t think we were at our best if I am being honest,”Halifax boss Adam Lakeland added. “I felt we had done well to get into the lead, so to be 1-0 up going into the latter stages of the game, you must ensure you get something out of it.

“To lose it through two disappointing goals is bitterly frustrating. We must learn and be better in the next game.”

📷Goal celebrations for Shaun Donnellan of Truro City during the National League match between Truro City and FC Halifax Town at Truro City Stadium on 18 October 2025. - PHOTO: Frankie OKeeffe/PPAUK